Expansible shoe form



w. J. DE wrr'r EXPANSIBLE SHOE FORM Filed Dec. 20. 1928 Patented Dec. 31, 19259 UNITED STATES FATE "i OFFICE WILLIAM J. DE WITI', OF AUBURN, NEJV YORK, ASSIG-NOR TO SHOE FOR-M CO. INC., OF AUBURN, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK EXJEANSIBLE SHOE FORM Application filed December 20, 1928. Serial No. 327,398.

This invention r lates to an improvement in an expansible shoe form and more partic ularly in one which comprises a hollow thinwalled shell having a conformation adapted to be inserted in the toe of a shoe, and a back stay wire or thrust bar, the end oi which bears against the heel counter of the shoe and holds the shell in position. The walls of the shell being eXpa-nsible may be contracted upon insertion of the form into the shoe and then expanded in order to plump out the material forming the toe of the shoe. This Plumping out action is controlled in the present invention by the provision of a cross brace which is actuated by the thrust bar.

The primary object of this invention is to provide, in a shoe form of this construction, a cross brace and a thrust bar so formed and connected to the cross brace that the action of the thrust baris exerted upon one end only of the cross brace. A further object of this invention is to provide a shoe form having a cross brace pivotally secured at one end to one wall of the hollow shell and adapted, when oscillated on its pivot, to control the expansion or contraction of the shell member, and a thrust bar which will operate directly upon the free end of the cross brace and while also connected to the pivoted end otthe cross brace exerts no effective pressure thereon.

Other objectsof the invention reside in the details of construction which will appear from an examinationot the following specification taken in connection with the drawings which form a part thereof and in which Fig. 1 is a view of a shoe form embodying this invention inserted in operative position in a shoe, the shell being shown in part in section and in part in phantom and the shoe being shown in section;

Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view of a shoe form embodying this invention the shell being in an expanded position;

Fig. 3 1s a view similar to Fig. 2 buton a a smaller scale, the shell being in the contracted position; and

Fig. 4 is a view of a cross brace and thrust bar embodying this invention,slightly separated for the purpose of clarity.

Referring to the drawings the shoe form comprises a hollow shell designated generally by the reference numeral 10 and a back stay wire or thrust bar 11. The shell 10 comprises side walls 12 and 13 which terminate in flanges 14 and 15, such flanges being here shown as integrally connected at the toe.

(See Figs. 2 and 3.) Passed through the flange 15 is rivet to which one end or" a cross brace 21 is connected by means of a loop 22. The brace 21 is thus movable relative to the flange 15 on the axis of the rivet 20, the rivet being fixed either in the flange or in the brace. In the flange 14 is cut a slot 23 in which a rivet 24, connected to the other end of the cross brace by a loop 22, is adapted to reciprocate. The slot 23 is so located that. as the cross brace 21 is oscillated on its pivot, the unpivoted end will cause the side walls of the shell to expand or contract. (See Figs. 2 and The thrust bar 11 comprises a pair of legs 25, 26 which are integrally connected at the outer end 27, The leg is joined at its inner end to the free end of the cross brace 21 by a loop 28 which surrounds the rivet 24. The leg 26 is joined at its inner end to the pivoted end of the cross brace 21 through an integral extension 29 having a loop 30 which surrounds the rivet 20. The extension 29 is at an angle to the leg 26, preferably one slightly greater than a right angle and functions in some respects like a rocker arm.

lVhen the shoe form is to be inserted in a shoe the shell 10 is contracted by shifting the brace into the position shown in Fig. 3 by exerting pressure on the thrust bar 11. The shell is then introduced into the toe of the shoe usually by manipulation of the thrust bar. When the shell reaches the position in which it is prevented from any further ad vance movement by the shoe, the continuance of the pressure exerted by the thrust bar 11 shifts the cross brace from the position shown in Fig. 3 toward that shown in Fig. 2.

lVhile pressure is exerted on the outer end of both legs of the thrust bar, the leg 25 applies it directly to the rivet 24 and that end of the cross brace. The leg 26 however transmits it only slightly to the pivoted end of the cross brace, because, due to the angular arrangement of the leg 26 and the extension 29,

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the pressure exerted by leg 26 simply causes the extension 29 to swing around the rivet as a pivot. Thus the angle of the oinder between the extension and the leg is made more acute and the pressure which would otherwise be exerted on the pivoted end of the cross brace is absorbed.

The outer end 27 of the thrust bar 11 is then inserted into the shoe, resting against the heel counter, and the natural resiliency of the thrust bar continues to exert the pressure which holds the shell 10 yieldably in position. (See Fig. 1.)

\Vhen the shoe form is to be removed from the shoe the outer end 27 or the thrust bar is raised from engagement with the heel counter and the shell is withdrawn from the toe of the shoe by a pull exerted upon the thrust bar 11. This pull acts through the leg upon the rivet 24: and the end of the cross brace connected thereto and causes the cross brace 21 to swing on its pivot and the rivet 24 to travel in the slot 23. The pull exerted on the leg 26, on the other hand, simply causes the angle of the joinderbetween the leg 26 and the extension 29 to become more obtuse, and no particular pressure is transmitted to the rivet 20 or the pivoted end of the brace.

It will be noted that when force is exerted upon the legs of the thrust bar, a portion is f sorbedby varying the angleof the joinder between the extension 29 and the leg 26. C01 sequently the shifting movement of the cross brace upon its pivot is not impeded by the direct application of force at the pivoted end.

Vhile one embodiment only of this invention has been shown and described it is obvious that I am not limited thereby since other embodiments might be made without departing from the spirit and scope thereof as setiorth in the following claims.

I claim:

1. In a shoe form comprising a thinwalled shell, across brace connecting the side walls-of the shell, one end of the brace being ivoted to one side wall and the other end iieing movable along the other side wall and so related thereto that the oscillation of the brace on its pivot causes the expansion or contraction of the shell, and a thrust bar connected to the ends of the brace whereby it will actuate the brace through its connection with the movable end of the-brace.

2. In a shoe form comprising a thin-walled shell, the side walls of which terminate in flanges, a cross brace, one end being pivotally connected to one of the-flanges and the other end being movable along the other flange and so related thereto that the oscillation of the brace on its pivot causes the expansion or contraction of the shell, and a thrust bar connected to the ends of the brace whereby it will actuate the brace through its connection with the movable end of the brace.

3. In a shoe form comprising a thin-walled shell, the side walls of which terminate in flanges, a cross brace, one end being pivotally connected to one of the flanges and the other end being movable along the other flange and so related thereto that the oscillation of the brace on its pivot causes the expansion or contraction of the shell, and a thrust bar connected to the ends of the brace, a portion at least of the force exerted by the thrust bar being applied directly to the movable end of the brace.

4. In a shoe form comprising a thin-walled shell, the side walls of which terminate in flanges, a cross brace, one end being pivotally connected to one of the flanges and the other end being movable along the other flange and so related thereto that the oscillation of the brace on its pivot causes the expansion or contraction of the shell, and a thrust bar connected to the ends of the brace, the force exerted by the thrust bar being applied directly to the movable end of the brace and being diverted from the pivoted end thereof.

5. In a shoe form comprising a thin-walled shell, the side walls of which terminate in flanges, a cross brace, one end being pivotally connected to one of the flanges and the other end being movable along the other flange and so related thereto that the oscillation of the brace on its pivot causes the expansion or contraction of the shell, and a thrust bar connected to the ends of the brace, the force exerted by the thrust bar being diverted from the pivoted end of the brace.

6. In a shoe form comprising a thin-walled shell, the side walls of which terminate in flanges, a cross brace, one end being pivotally connected to one of the flanges and the other end being movable along the other flange and so related thereto that the oscillation of the brace on its pivot causes the expansion or contraction of the shell, and a thrust bar connected to the ends of the brace, the thrustbar having two legs, one connected directly to one end of the brace and the other connected indirectly to the other end of the brace.

7. In a shoe form comprising a thin-walled shell, the side walls of which terminate in flanges, a cross brace, one end being pivotally connected to one of the flanges and the other end being movable along theother flange and so related thereto that the oscillation of the brace on its pivot causes the expansion or contraction of the shell, and a thrust bar connected to the ends of the brace, the thrust bar having two legs, one connected directly to the movable end of the brace and the other connected indirectly to the pivoted end of the brace.

8. In a shoe form comprising a thin-Walled shell, the side walls of which terminate in flanges, a cross brace, one end of the brace being pivotally connected to one of the flanges and the other end being connected to a rivet adapted to reciprocate in a slot in the other flange whereby the oscillation of the cross brace on its pivot causes the expansion or contraction of the shell, and a thrust bar connected to the ends of the brace whereby it will actuate the brace through its connection with the movable end of the brace.

9. In a shoe form comprising a thin-walled shell, the side walls of which terminate in flanges, a cross brace, one end of the brace being pivotally connected to one of the flanges and the other end being connected to a rivet adapted to reciprocate in a slot in the other flange whereby the oscillation of the cross brace on its pivot causes the expansion or contraction of the shell, and means connected to the ends of the brace and adapted through the connection with the movable end to actuate the brace.

10. In a shoe form comprising a thin-walled shell, the side walls of which terminate in flanges, a cross brace, one end of the brace being pivotally connected to one of the flanges and the other end being connected to a rivet adapted to reciprocate in a slot in the other flange whereby the oscillation of the cross brace on its pivot causes the expansion or contraction of the shell, and a thrust bar connected directly to one end of the brace and connected indirectly to the other end of the brace.

11. In a shoe form comprising a thin-walled shell, the side walls of which terminate in flanges, a cross brace, one end of the brace being pivotally connected to one of the flanges and the other end being connected to a rivet adapted to reciprocate in a slot in the other flange whereby the oscillation of the cross brace on its pivot causes the expansion or contraction of the shell, and a thrust bar connected directly to the reciprocable end of the brace and connected indirectly to the pivoted end of the brace whereby the force exerted by the thrust bar is applied at the reciprocable end of the brace causing it to oscillate in the desired direction.

12. In a shoe form comprising a thin-walled shell, the side walls of which terminate in flanges, a cross brace, one end of the brace being pivotally connected to one of the flanges and the other end being connected to a rivet adapted to reciprocate in a slot in the other flange whereby the oscillation of the cross brace on its pivot causes the expansion or contraction of the shell, and a thrust bar connected directly to the reciprocable end of the brace and connected indirectly to the pivoted end of the brace whereby the force exerted by the thrust bar is applied primarily at the reciprocable end of the brace causing it to oscillate in the desired direction.

13. In a shoe form comprising a thin-walled shell, the side walls of which terminate in flanges, a cross brace, one end of the brace being pivotally connected to one of the flanges and the other end being connected to a rivet adapted to reciprocate in a slot in the other flange whereby the oscillation ofthe cross brace on its pivot causes the expansion or contraction of the shell, and a thrust bar having two legs one connected directly to the reciprocable end of the brace and the other connected to the pivoted end of the brace through an extension at an angle to the leg whereby the force exerted by the thrust bar is applied primarily at the reciprocable end of the brace causing it to oscillate in the desired direction.

14-. In a shoe form comprising a thin-walled shell, the side walls of which terminate in flanges, a cross brace, one end of the brace being pivotally connected to one of the flanges and the other end being connected to a rivet adapted to reciprocate in a slot in the other flange whereby the oscillation of the cross brace on its pivot causes the expansion or contraction of the shell, and a thrust bar having two legs one connected directly to the reciprocable end of the brace and the other connected to the pivoted end of the brace through an extension at an angle to the leg whereby force exerted by the thrust bar causes the extension to change itsangular relation to the leg and is absorbed thereby.

15. A shoe form comprising a hollow thinwalled laterally expansible shell, a cross brace pivotally connected to the shell at one side of the latter, guide means at the other side of the shell for the free end of the cross brace and a thrust member comprising two legs and a rocker, the rocker being pivoted at one end to the shell at the same side of the latter to which the cross brace is pivoted and having its other end connected to one of said legs, the other leg being connected to the cross brace adjacent to the free end of the latter.

16. In a shoe form comprising a thin-walled shell, a cross brace connecting the side walls to the shell, one end of the brace being pivoted to one side wall and the other end being movable along the other side wall and so related thereto that the oscillation of the brace 011 its pivot causes the expansion or contraction of the shell, and a thrust bar connected to the movable end of the brace whereby it actuates the brace through such connection.

17. In a shoe form comprising a thin-walled shell, the side walls of which terminate in flan 'es a cross brace the other end bein pivotally connected to one of the flanges and the other end being movable along the other flange and so related thereto that the oscillation of the brace on its pivot causes the expansion or contraction of the shell, and a thrust bar connected to the movable end of the brace whereby it. will actuate the brace through such eonnecti0n.

18. In a shoe form eomprisinga thin-Walled shell, the. side Walls of which terminate in i 5 flanges, a cross brace, one end of the bracebeing pivotally connected to one of the flanges and the other end being connected to {L rivet adapted to reciprocate in the slot in the other flange whereby the oscillation of the cross w brace on its pivot causes theexpansion orcontraetiom of the shell, and a thrust bur connected to. the rivet whereby it. will actuatethe brace;

Signed by me at Auburn, New York, this 15 l8bh-dmy of December, 1928.

WILLIAM. J. DE WITT.. 

